Hyer Boots | NRS World

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The Hyer story began in 1875, when a wayward cowboy on the long-haul cattle trail mosey’d his way into a small shoe cobbler’s shop in Olathe, Kansas. He was looking for a pair of boots that could survive and endure the rugged frontier. His Civil-War style boots had seen better days, succumbing to the demands of the cattle drive. The shoemaker, C.H. Hyer had never made boots of this pedigree, but willingly accepted the challenge.

After mocking up a couple of pairs that didn’t cut it with his high standards of quality and fit, C.H. Hyer finally built a pair he felt confident would meet the needs of the foot-sore cowboy. He named it appropriately, the “Cowboy Boot.”

Unbeknownst to him on that day, C.H. Hyer changed the look of the western frontier forever, and it wasn’t long before the demand for this cowboy boot spread. Soon, C.H and his brother Ed were making boots for cattlemen, rodeo performers, dignitaries like Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, and even movie stars such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Will Rogers and Marilyn Monroe.

For nearly 100-years, this family-owned company was at the forefront of manufacturing and innovation. Once the largest manufacturer of handmade boots in America, The HYER Boot Company led the way in streamlining the production process while finding intuitive ways to deliver the best fitting, highest quality boots to real cowboys in the most remote ranches in the West.

Financial hardship struck in the 1970’s, forcing the family to relinquish the business that brought them so much pride. For the next 30 years the HYER brand switched ownership and changed hands without any real success to hang their hat on. In the early 1990’s, the last pair of boots of a once true American icon came off the production line. And just like that, the sun had seemingly set on HYER.

Fast forward 25 years later, when the great-great-grandson of C.H. Hyer dusted off a box of memorabilia after his grandfather passed away. With every photograph, catalog, and receipt he looked over, he gained a deeper understanding of the impact this boot company had on his family history. On that very day, Zach Lawless, the great-great-grandson of C.H. Hyer decided he would return the once proud HYER Boot trademark to his family, specifically, his grandmother.

Every Wednesday, armed with a cup of coffee and a telephone, Zach called the corporation that owned the trademark, and asked for it back. For two years, as he sat on hold, his resolve deepened and the vision he had for the HYER brand expanded. Why stop at securing the trademark for his grandmother? Why not bring the original Cowboy Boot company back?

Zach’s perseverance and determination paid off. Today, he and his fiancé Alicia are proud to return HYER Boots, not only to the family, but to the entire western industry. The brand’s revival will honor the legacy of enduring craftsmanship and customer service on which the original HYER Boot Company was built, while also evolving to meet the demands of the contemporary western consumer.

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